Field of the Invention
This invention relates to improvements in a projectile. More particularly, the present reusable projectile is fabricated from a casting process that can be used in a bullet cartridge and inserted into a gun. The reusable projectile conforms to the rifling of the barrel. After the projectile hits a target the projectile can be reused with limited degradation.
Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Most projectiles that are fired out of a gun, cannon or other firing armament that uses black powder or gun powder use a single use projectile. The projectile is deformed with the rifling of the barrel, and is further deformed when the projectile makes impact with a target. Either of both of these impacts deforms the projectile to a condition that the only way to re-use the projectile is to melt the projectile and reform the projectile. A number of other projectiles are made for non-lethal purposes, but these projectiles are custom designed to the firearm or operate outside of the firearm.
A number of patents and or publications have been made to address these issues. Exemplary examples of patents and or publication that try to address this/these problem(s) are identified and discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,933 issued on Oct. 2, 2001 to Bernard Dubocage discloses a Non-Lethal Projectile For Firearms. The projectile is a soft and elastic material that is formed into a ball, compressed pushed in a deformed condition into a cartridge. While the ball can be deformed and inserted into another cartridge, the ball is not in the shape of a bullet where the rifling of the barrel improves accuracy of the projectile. Because the projectile fit entirely within the cartridge, using the cartridge in a non-shotgun application would not allow the cartridge to automatically feed from a clip.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,278,358 issued Oct. 9, 2007 to Rick Huffman discloses a Non-Lethal Marking Bullet for Related Training Cartridges. The bullet has an outer casing that seals the inner marking material. Once the bullet hits a target the outer casing is compromised to allow the marking material to leave a visible indicator of the point of impact. The bullet operates in a shotgun and upon impact there are limited components that can be reused.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,063,021 issued on Jun. 20, 2006 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,237,490 issued on Jul. 3, 2007, both to Neil Keegstra et al., disclose an Expanded Volume Less Lethal Ball Type Projectile. The ball is deformed and pressed into a hull that guides the ball through the barrel of the firearm. The ball can then be collected and used in a future hull and base, but the ball requires an expendable hull to guide the ball through a shotgun barrel.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,312,812 issued on Nov. 20, 2012 to John A Kaples and U.S. Pat. No. 8,316,769 issued on Nov. 27, 2012 to Chris Wilson both disclose a training or non-lethal ammunition projectile. The reloadable training monition has a reusable shell base with a projectile that simulates the weight of an actual monition. The projectile is used for hand loading into a cannon for training purposes. While the projectile is reusable it is not used in in small arms guns and rifles where it is automatically loaded into the firearm for rapid shooting where the projectiles can be easily collected and reused.
What is needed is a reusable polyurethane projectile that approximates the size and shape of a bullet or other projectile. The proposed reusable polyurethane projectile provides a solution to this problem.